She’s like a mix between Rachel Zoe and Alexa Chung – a shaggy jacket paired with a retro mini. She holds one of the most coveted positions at a fashion brand, and she’s this week’s inspiring style file. Our Creative Design Assistant (assistant to the Creative Director) knows exactly how to rock her miniature frame. She’s always put together to the t’s, and knows how to pull off classic, cool, and edgy all at the same time. Did I mention how warm and adorable she is?
A little while back we held an fp me style contest and we were completely blown away by the amazing entries! It was very difficult to narrow it down to three winners – who are currently being featured as part of our holiday boutiques! Here are the winning photos, and a little bit more about each of these lovely fp girls :)
Photo Credit: C Studios
Amy Crandall, Columbus OH
What do you love most about the holiday season?
Holidays are an amazing time because you are surrounded by fabulous family and great food! What could be more lovely!?
Where is your favorite place?
My favorite place is Byron Bay, Australia. There is such a peaceful calm about it and the people with whom reside. The laid back vibe, fantastic hikes, beautiful views, and amazing surf all drew me in.
How would you describe your style? And, what Free People girl are you?
I am a boho-girl to my core! I am extremely inspired by photography, music, art, and adventure which directly influences my life and style. I love pieces that you can wear in more ways than one, like a fantastic maxi that you can pull up, belt and wear as a dress. I am also careful to purchase pieces that I know I will still be in love with years down the road. I could definitely be soul sisters with the FP girl, Miss Meadow.
What is your favorite fashion trend this season?
I am always freezing cold, so the thing I love most about this season is layering. Being all bundled up and cozy with over sized sweaters and scarves is exactly what you will catch me in this season!
What is your motto?
My main motto in this life is just to keep putting yourself out there because you never know what can come from an experience. I always surround myself with creative, motivating and positive people because they are constantly inspiring me and challenging me to grow.
Amy’s picks:
Crochet Love Cardi in Rust paired with a distressed boot : I love this look because it is such a laid back, comfortable and relaxing look yet so incredibly detailed.
Multi-Color Stripe Pullover onto of the Feather Slip: What makes this look special to me is the pairing of these two interesting and very different textures and materials. It stands out in such a delicate yet confident way.
Marled Yarn Pullover in Golden Marl: I love the way you can wear this sweater in multiple ways. You can layer it, you can pull it off of one shoulder, you can perfectly expose your collar bone; On top of how comfortable and cozy it looks, there is no question that this piece is special.
Beaded Hippie Jumpsuit: I am speechless — I just…. I can’t. It’s too good!!! Pair it with an intense head-piece…Unstoppable!
Cabin Fever Layering Top in Pimento: This top is a perfect piece for the season! The detailing and color is really eye catching. It is perfect way to add some flare and really brighten up your look!
Mariya Jasmine, Seattle WA
What do you love most about the holiday season?
Getting to watch Home Alone and Love Actually all the time! I love that the holidays allow you to spend time with and celebrate the amazing people in your life, and it’s fun to dress up for all of the fancy parties!
Where is your favorite place?
I just got back from my honeymoon to French Polynesia, which was incredible! The islands of Bora Bora and Moorea are breathtaking and were incredibly relaxing … It’s my favorite place I’ve traveled…so far!
How would you describe your style? And, what Free People girl are you?
My style is pretty relaxed… a mix of feminine, romantic, flowy and floral pieces… care-free but put-together – I would be the “new romantic” Free People girl.
What is your favorite fashion trend this season?
I am loving this season’s trends of lace and maxi dresses and skirts, often together. Pairing a boxy, lace top with a long maxi skirt and a blazer is my go-to outfit of the moment.
What is your motto?
Always stay inspired.
Mariya’s picks:
Lacey Layering Top – I love the versitility of this piece. you could wear it alone or use it for layering. you could dress it up or down, depending on how you accessorize it, and it could be paired with pants/skirt or layered under a dress for a stylish way to keep warm.
Crochet Love Cardi – This sweater looks so comfy! what i love about Free People is that all the pieces are versatile, and you can incorporate them into your wardrobe and make it work with many options.
Crochet Sleeve Pullover – Love the exaggerated sleeves on this top. crochet is a great trend this season…almost like lace but a difference texture.
Jilly Maxi Dress – I feel like this dress could be a great, sexy piece on its own, or almost like a slip under another dress. the pop of color peaking out under the bottom would be a great way to change up a dress or maxi-skirt you already own.
Nicole Embellished Lace Dress – I”m such a sucker for lace! and i love the white option of this dress, it feels very festive :)
Sophie Anna London, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
What do you love most about the holiday season?
I love holiday parties, the outfits that accompany them and flowing champagne! New Years Eve is the most magical holiday of the year and I try to go on a beach vacation every winter.
Where is your favorite place?
Praia do Rosa, Brazil and Paris are my favorite places I have been to… New Years Eve in Brazil is amazing! Morocco and Tahiti are my current dream destinations.
How would you describe your style? And, what Free People girl are you?
My style is bohemian Gypsy luxe. I love special, feminine pieces, lots of jewelry, and a 70’s Rock & roll attitude. I have a good time when I get dressed. Listening to music and channelling different muses depending on my mood. I am a combo of “Ginger”, “Meadow” and “Sandy”. Sexy, bohemian and beachy!
What is your favorite fashion trend this season?
I would call my favorite trend this holiday season “Spice & Honey”, inspired by a poem I read about a fairy. Romantic and magical, glittering and delicate in whites, silver and gold. I want to dress like a fairy queen dripping in crystals, pearls, velvet and lace! With hints of Victoriana…Thank you FP for making my fantasy wardrobe come to life.
What is your motto?
“Cherchez La Femme”
Sophia’s Picks:
High neck Victorian Lace dress – A must have for me. Stunning and Victorian inspired. I love bodycons with high necks right now.
Pearl Crossbody – This bag sums up my holiday mood. Even fairy queens have things to carry sometimes…
Symphonia Platform heel – I love these party booties! Edgy & Victorian, paired with the dancers dream leggings….sigh
This month we’ve been exploring some of the decades that inspire the fashion we see and love today – Paris in the 1920s, America in the 1950s, Morocco in the 1970s – all leading up to today. The twentytens and the modern girl, who mixes together all of the little pieces that make her who she is – her various inspirations, quirks, ethnicities – turning them into something entirely unique to her. It couldn’t be more fitting, then, that the modern section of our catalog featured a flag by artist Sara Rahbar.
I posted some of her flags on the blog a little while back… i was fascinated by them, and love the idea of a flag being made up of many elements that represent different places, ideas and stories. Read on for an interview with Sara and to learn more about the flags in her own words.
When did you first come up with the concept behind your Flag Series?
It was in 2005 when I was studying at central saint martins in London, it was for my final project… And I never thought that it would be a series, I thought that I would just make one.
What are some of the materials that you use to make your flags, and where do you find them?
I use anything that inspires me, anything that I am excited and passionate about, and anything that is “sew-able”… there are so many objects that I find that I love and want to use, but they are too large or too heavy for sewing, it has gotten to the point that the objects have completely taken over. I think that’s why I’m starting to do sculpture now.
As for where I find my materials, well just about anywhere that I can, and I mean ANYWHERE. I go to the most bizarre places to find things… from bazaars in Tehran, to flea markets in Pennsylvania, from Vietnam vets to little old ladies on the street… I see a million things and I pick two, editing is very important.
I am just as passionate about the objects that I find, as I am about making the work and the final outcome. Gathering these items is such an important part of my process.
What is the meaning behind the particular flag used in our catalog shoot?
There is never any one particular meaning, these pieces are like pages in a book, they are like pieces in huge puzzle.
This work is very personal for me and it’s a direct reflection of my life. In the end I am just a human being talking about my life to other human beings, the work is just an outcome of the way that I view the world and others around me.
It’s about falling, standing and attempting to survive it all. In the end we are all in exile, we are all just visiting and we all come to this earth alone and we leave alone. But while we are here we try so desperately to belong to something, to someone and to somewhere.
Art often inspires fashion. Does fashion ever inspire your art?
Yes, sure it can, anything can inspire me, anything can spark something, trigger something. The most random things can inspire me; there really is no rhyme or reason to it, it’s just instinctual.
What people have had the most influence on you and your art?
Wow this is a very difficult question for me, mainly because a million different things inspire me every minute of the day, and I have a really bad memory and cant keep track of it all. My mind is a very overwhelming place to be sometimes… that’s why I jot things down a lot, to get them out of my head so that I can make room for new things to enter.
But there really are an endless amount of people that inspire me, from film makers, to artists, to writers, to my mother and brother… the list would really go on, and on, and on…
What does Free mean to you?
Being free is just a state of mind.
If you were to create a flag inspired by Free People, what would it look like?
I couldn’t tell you that in an interview, it all comes to me very instinctually when I’m making the work. I could only show it to you when it’s done. It’s an unexplainable moment, flickers of colors and shapes, I have learned throughout the years to trust my instincts, and let them guide me.
Personally I feel that it loses something when I talk about it, I believe it all happens in the making of the work. I could try to make a piece about Sylvia Plath’s poems, but what would be the point…her words are powerful enough on their own. I think good work, really good work, moves you beyond words.
So inspiring. I love what she said about having to write things down to make more room in her head – I feel that way all the time. To see more of Sara’s amazing work, visit her website.
Our featured artist this month is certainly appropriate for the time of year – Erickson Beamon creates a universe “where glittering snowflakes freeze into delicate drop earrings, black roses bloom on bangles, a brave new world is being charted out with yards of pearls and the duchess of fabulous rules the roost”
Their work is the epitome of statement jewelry – they create pieces that not only compliment an outfit, they become an important part of it. The rings we are featuring by Erickson Beamon scream holiday party – they truly do look like crystals of ice that will add the perfect dazzle to your holiday outfit.
I love Erickson Beamon’s artistic approach to jewelry design – for their spring/summer 2012 presentation at fashion week they created a lush garden scene called “Back to Eden,” that housed four incredible mannequins covered in their baubles and designs. They’re incredible!
Sheer layers have been making a fashion statement around the home offices as a must-have trend. Whether worn underneath or on top, these pieces are good ways of inciting mystery. The eye gets a peek into what’s underneath, maybe a fun bandeau print or lacey detail, but never fully gets a good look. Checkout the many garments and ways in which we’re sporting the trend…
I’m always trying to come up with ways to wear my cropped sweaters (like this one or this one) in cooler weather – love the idea of layering a sheer top (like this one) underneath.
Sometimes, as winter blankets our surroundings with its bitter chill, it’s tough to stay fashionably motivated. Rising out of bed in the morning involves a laborious upheaval from an all-too-comfortable toasty nest. The last thing you want to do is spend time, half-naked in a drafty bedroom, pulling an outfit together. It tends to turn into, “grab the first items in your drawer, and pile them on as fast as you can.”
To dress well as the air gets chillier though, we’ve come to realize that the under layer becomes less important. To pull off a great look that won’t leave you freezing, it’s all about that top winter layer. Here, some of the Free People girls show us how to move into the new season while keeping it fresh with a few of our favorite jackets. They remind us that a good scarf and hat can go a long way to trap in heat, and, don’t forget, the season’s must-have item – a pair of killer close-toed boots. All of these things – jacket, boots, and winter accessories – will help you bring those easy under layers into the new season.
The 1970s has always been a decade that fascinates me – it was such an interesting time of change. So many life-altering events took place in the late sixties, that the 70s seemed like a period when people were a little “dazed and confused”, turning to new types of music, film, or travel as a form of escapism. Many writers and musicians traveled to Morocco, where we shot this decade of our holiday catalog – seeking a change of scenery and inspiration. Others turned up in droves at Studio 54, to enjoy the disco music craze and dance the night away. Fashion was all about personal expression – from sequins and flowing dresses to floppy hats and bell-bottoms to the menswear look made famous by Annie Hall.
Pictured, clockwise from top left: Led Zeppelin, one of the biggest bands of the 1970s Diane Keaton as Annie Hall
Musician and 70s fashion icon Carly Simon Mick Jagger and his first wife Bianca Jagger, who was a fashion icon in the 70s and fixture at Studio 54 Fleetwood Mac, who released one of the biggest albums of the 70s, Rumours, in 1977
A shot from our holiday catalog, by David Bellemere Almost Famous captures the music scene in the 70s based on Cameron Crowe’s experience touring with some of the decade’s biggest bands, including the Allman Brothers, Lynard Skynard and Led Zeppelin.
Iconic photo of Talitha Getty in Morocco by Patrick Lichfield.
Stay tuned for some amazing behind the scenes photos, and check out the full holiday catalog.
Our brand-new and very first Las Vegas boutique opens today! We threw an opening bash last night with live music by Avalon Landing and styling by Lauren, Free People’s Art Director and Head Stylist. There was an amazing turnout flooding the store with fashionable women from far and wide. Fashion addicts that we are, we couldn’t help but snap some shots of our favorite looks…
These ladies drove all the way from Utah! #dedication
Not only is she an awesome fan for having driven all the way from Utah, but she also tried out the fishtail diy from last month’s guest post – so awesome!
My day went from getting dressed & morning coffee to train rides and a Free People preview event…
As many of you should know by now, today is the launch of our much awaited bicoastal NYC & LA pop-up shops. Last night we held a little preview event for friends, bloggers, & media at both locations. I was lucky enough to help organize the whole thing and attend the NYC event. I was working of course, but this is the kind of thing I’ve always dreamt of getting the chance to do. We had RSVP’s from editors I’ve watched creep up masthead ranks, and bloggers who inspire me on the regular. Working for a brand, that my heart is truly invested in, I just couldn’t wait to share it with them. I was nervous though. Was I going to say all of the right things, and forge a connection between Free People and these important figures?
The cupcakes & wine were set. Goodie bags were in place. I smoothed a red coat of confidence across my lips and watched the door as attendees began to trickle in. As soon as I greeted the first to arrive, Claire Geist from Delune Blog, my nerves evaporated. A warm calm of “I got this” washed over me. I was there to represent the brand, but I was also there to just be myself, and had a blast. I cracked jokes with Natalie Suarez and Christina Caradona who apparently has something of a Kanye crush (Kanye – if you’re reading this, I highly suggest dropping the woman a line). I connected with Karen of Wheredidyougetthat over the beauty of individual interpretation in fashion, and specifically the creative freedom that Free People possess to inspire it. She had a calm insightful point of view that stirred up my thoughts – which is exactly the kind of conversation I live for. Lastly, I finally got to meet Erica & Lauren of Honestly…WTF who we’ve worked with before, but I’ve never gotten the chance to meet myself. They’re both intelligent women with such cool energies about them. You can’t help but notice that you’re in the presence of a rare kind of special person when you’re with them.
The gowns looked beautiful and at the end of the night I was content. I loved talking about the brand and getting Free People’s beauty out there. It was a night of meeting new people, partaking in interesting conversations, and celebrating fashion – exactly what I’ve always wanted for my future.
Now somebody pinch me. Nobody gets their dreams this young…
Remember those rad newspaper nails I posted a few weeks back? Ever since then I find myself noticing nail art more and more… I’m terrible at the whole nail polish thing, because I bite my nails – it’s a habit I can’t seem to kick. But if I managed to get my nails to look like any of these, I don’t think I’d want to ruin them…
Free People Las Vegas is opening this Friday!!! To celebrate, we’re having a special preview party tomorrow, November 10, from 4-7pm! Come check out our new digs at Fashion Show Mall and enjoy live music by Avalon Landing, while checking out the new merch and getting styling tips from our Art Director and lead stylist. There will be sweet treats provided by Retro Bakery and awesome goodie bags stuffed with jewelry by Wild & Free, too :)
